Insignificant Moments
by Ryuchu
Summary: Relationships are forged through a collection of moments, both significant and insignificant. Leia's surprised to find that it's the latter that mean the most in her relationship with Alvin. [Pre-Established AlvinxLeia]
1. Height Difference

**A/N: **So, I've had a few people ask me to write some fluff for this couple. This is the best attempt I've got.

I'm leaving to study abroad in a week and I thought to celebrate I would write a one-shot for this couple every day this week. Does Tales of Xillia really have anything to do with me studying abroad? Not directly, no. Do I care that choosing to count down my days till leaving with a one-shot collection is kinda silly? Nope. I'm choosing to celebrate this way and there's nothing you can do to stop me!

Also, I love in the game how Alvin refers to Leia as a "cheeky teenager" in one of the skits. I kinda wish he had continued calling her that.

Please note that for the course of all these stories, Alvin and Leia are already in a pre-established relationship. For some reason, I find fluff so much easier to write when the characters are already dating one another.

* * *

Title: Height Difference

Summary: Being short never really bothered Leia until Alvin wouldn't stop pointing it out.

* * *

Height differences were something Leia never really thought about. Sure, during childhood she had used the fact that she was taller than Jude as a teasing point many, many times, but a pesky growth-spurt had robbed her of that particular pleasure. She was sad to see it go, but there were a whole slew of other things she could use to tease Jude, so it wasn't a terrible loss.

Now, her relatively short stature was just a facet of herself that she didn't really have an opinion on, good or bad.

Or at least it would have been if Alvin didn't keep bringing it up at every single opportunity.

She knew it was all just good-intentioned teasing (well, as good-intentioned as Alvin's teasing could be); when he called her a "kid" or a "cheeky teenager", he gave one of those lopsided grins of his that almost always forced her to smile back. However, the more he kept indirectly bringing up how short and childish-looking she was, the more Leia kept noticing it.

The problem wasn't so much that she was short; it was that she was short and Alvin was tall. Recently, every time the two of them walked down the street hand-in-hand, in the back of her mind she couldn't help but worry that perhaps they looked more like siblings than a couple. Maybe it was petty to worry about it, but in her mind it was just another way that she was holding him back.

However, instead of giving into the voice of despair, she knew there was only one option: solve the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible. Plan A of hitting a growth spurt was immediately rejected after she remembered that she had stopped growing about two years ago. Plan B came in the form of wearing high-heels.

When the two of them went on their weekly shopping trip (Leia silently fretting all the while), she quickly detoured Alvin from the essentials such as food and brought him to a small boutique that she had scouted out earlier. To her infinite relief, the shoes she had been eyeing were still in stock. She picked them up with a triumphant smile and gently twirled them in her hand.

"Whoa, wait a minute."

Leia's elated feeling was effectively squashed by the sound of Alvin's voice behind her. When she turned around, she found him looking her over suspiciously.

"Those are top of the line designer brand shoes."

"So? What's wrong with that?"

"If you actually cared about fashion, nothing at all," Alvin said as his face broke into a grin, "Last I checked though, your only connection to the fashion word was thinking that tying bug wings to your back was 'cute'."

"They're not bug wings!" She called back defensively as she grabbed at the gossamer ornaments hanging down her back. Through her anger, she could hear Alvin laughing mightily to himself which only stood to fuel her rage. In one motion, she slammed her gald down on the counter and leaned down to begin immediately putting on the shoes. When she shot up a moment later, her old shoes still gripped in her hands, her legs felt so uncertain underneath her that she nearly fell down again.

"See, this is why I was worried," Alvin said once he regained control of himself, "Have you ever even worn heels before?"

"Nope!" Leia called enthusiastically as she tried to get used to the odd feeling of balancing on the slim points, "But it can't be that hard, right?"

She quickly found out that the answer to that rhetorical question was yes.

Apparently walking without falling and snapping your neck was some kind of super power that every other woman in the world besides Leia had. She hadn't even taken three steps before she felt her balance falter and she pitched forward – if it wasn't for Alvin catching her, she would have ended up face-down on the pavement. Quickly detangling herself from his embrace, she turned all her attention towards walking without losing her balance.

Which only made things worse.

When she reached near-fall number six, Alvin finally hooked his arms under her legs and heaved her onto his back. For a moment, she was too stunned to make any sort of response, but when he started moving, she clung desperately to his neck as she feebly kicked her legs in discomfort.

"I'm fine Alvin," She protested instantly, "I was just starting to get the hang of it."

"If by 'getting the hang of it' you mean about to kill yourself for the thousandth time, then I agree."

"Just put me down! This is so embarrassing…"

"What's so embarrassing about having your boyfriend carry you, huh? Besides, I don't want you to fall and break your pretty face; that would be too much of a tragedy."

No matter how Leia tried to squirm out of it, Alvin just held onto her tighter until she was forced to resign herself to the situation. As she leaned into his back, her mind was quick to inform her that if she didn't want them to appear like siblings, she was doing an even worse job – piggy-back rides were ten times more childish than a height difference.

Plan B: ended up only making the situation worse.

Plan C (walking on her tip-toes everywhere) and Plan D (stilts) were also quickly foiled by Alvin. With every new plan, he would watch her for a few minutes before once more scooping her onto his back and refusing to let her go until she stopped her current course of action. Leia was pretty sure that he was doing it partially to patronize her, which only drove her to pursue her ideas even more relentlessly. _One_ of them was bound to work.

Somehow, it had become a nightly ritual for her to wait for Alvin to fall asleep before she crept out of bed and began to brainstorm her next big plan. It was day three of being hopelessly stuck on an idea for Plan E that she felt a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and a chin rest on her head.

"And what exactly are we doing up at this hour? Bedtime was a long time ago for kids like you."

At the sound of his voice, a flush of embarrassment crossed Leia's features as she hastily crumpled the paper she had been writing her ideas on.

"Nothing," She responded far too hastily for an innocent individual, "Shouldn't an old man like you be getting all the sleep he can?"

"Ah, but it was impossible for me to sleep without the presence of my dear cheeky teenager next to me."

"Alvin, we sleep in different beds."

"Is that an invitation to change that?"

"No."

"Ouch. Shot down without even a thought."

Leia vocalized no response, instead choosing to snuggle into Alvin's embrace. All around them, the night was permeated only by the gentle sound of their breathing; Leia had to admit that she would put up will all kinds of teasing from Alvin if she got to enjoy these little moments of intimacy. As her eyes grew heavy and her entire body relaxed, she decided that she would take the time and enjoy this; Plan E could be figured out tomorrow.

"So we're on to Plan E now, are we? I thought you had only gone through three of your little 'be taller' schemes."

"Plan A was to grow taller naturally, but I stopped growing a few years ago."

"So you didn't think to eat a whole bunch of foods that are supposed to help you grow?"

"Well we're living in Trigleph; I don't know what kinds of foods are good for growing."

"Makes sense I guess."

It was at this moment that Leia's brain finally registered the exchange that had just occurred between the two of them. He eyes shot open and she rather forcefully extracted herself from Alvin's embrace. All of her comfortable tiredness was replaced with flushed embarrassment as she looked horrified at the mercenary. He had known what she was doing.

For his part, Alvin was smirking as the paper he had just stolen from Leia dangled in his hands. Embarrassment fueling her actions, she swiped the paper from his hands and pushed it against her chest so he wouldn't be able to see it any longer.

"You…knew?" She asked in a voice little more than a mortified whisper.

"Well of course. You weren't exactly great at hiding your little scheme you know."

"But…but still, it wasn't _that_ obvious!...Right?"

"Leia, you couldn't have made it more obvious if you tried."

"Then why did you let me keep doing it?!"

"Because it was cute."

Suddenly, there was a wad of paper smacking him right between the eyes. It took Leia's brain several seconds to catch up with her body and realize that she was the one who had thrown the paper.

"Sheesh," Alvin complained as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, "It's your fault for not hiding what you were doing better. Why exactly were you trying to be taller anyways?"

His question made her falter and suddenly she was averting her gaze as she hastily picked up the paper she had thrown. She expected Alvin to crack a joke at any moment to break the tension, but he remained silent. The two of them had been together long enough for her to realize what that meant – it was time to stop playing around and answer. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she searched for the right words.

"I was…worried. I mean, you call me a 'cheeky teenager' all the time and what if that's all people see us as – a guy who has his annoying kid sister tagging along with him. I don't know, it just bothered me."

Silence fell once more and Leia was about to make a hasty apology when suddenly, Alvin's arms were wrapped around her middle, raising her from the ground. A squeak of surprise escaped her lips as she found herself on eye level with Alvin. His eyes were hard and serious, something she rarely saw from him.

"What are you-"

The end of her question was stolen away as he pressed his lips onto hers. For a moment, she was too thrown-off balance to reciprocate, but the feeling quickly passed as she began to kiss in return. The feeling of headiness from his lips on hers was only increased by the fact that her feet were dangling a few inches above the ground as Alvin held her aloft.

When the two of them broke apart, Alvin still held her and forced her to meet his gaze. The seriousness had melted away to be placed with a familiar playful glint. Leia found herself smiling back as her misgivings began to melt away. Their height difference didn't matter; what mattered was that they loved one another.

"So what do you think of the view from up here?" Alvin asked jovially, "Personally I find it to be kinda bland."

"Hm, you may be right," Leia responded as she looked away from Alvin's face and surveyed the room, "I think I might just like my shorter view point."

"Glad that I could bring you around to my way of thinking," he replied as he lowered her to the ground once more, "Now how about that sharing the same bed that we were discussing earlier. Think I could bring you around to my way of thinking on that?"

The only response he got was a too powerful to be playful punch on the arm before Leia dove into her own bed and pulled the blankets up over her head. A bemused smile crossed his features, but he dutifully crawled into the bed across the room from hers.

To his surprise, he woke up the next morning to Leia curled up against him, breathing deeply as she slept.


	2. Bug Wings

**A/N:** This chapter is short. Ridiculously short. I tried adding more, but it just messed with the feelings I was trying to get across. Well I did say these were "moments" and sometimes moments are nothing more than a simple conversation. Yes, let's use that as my excuse.

But any who, if you were wondering what exactly Alvin and Leia were talking about when they mentioned 'bug wings' in the previous chapter, here's your answer. Obviously these things are not in chronological order, but they do all take place on the same timeline. See if you can figure out the proper order by the end!

* * *

Title: Bug Wings

Description: Because really, what else are those things on your back supposed to be?

* * *

"Bug wings."

"...Excuse me?"

"The things on your back. I finally figured out what they look like - bug wings."

As if to demonstrate his point, Alvin picked up the thin silk ornaments that had been hung over the back of the chair Leia was sitting in and began to undulate them in the air, imitating the flapping of wings. Leia tried her best to ignore him as she stared down at the letter she had been attempting to write before Alvin interrupted her with one of his odd tangents.

"Fly away little Leia bug," he said, his voice lilting playfully as he began to make the wings move even faster. Leia felt heat rush to her face as any attempts at avoiding his goading and continuing the letter were rapidly forgotten. Although she couldn't see it, she knew exactly what expression he had on his face - she could hear the roguish smile in the way he spoke. Frowning slightly to herself and still blushing furiously, she swiped the decorative clothing item back and turned to glare at him.

"They're not bug wings!"

"Oh? Then what are they?" Alvin asked, a challenging smile crossing his features.

Leia knew that smile; she knew that tone of voice. Every fiber in her being knew that he was just baiting her, trying his best to get some sort of reaction out of her. Every fiber in her being was equally aware that she would take the bait - backing down from such an obvious challenge would be unthinkable.

"Who says they have to be anything?" Leia retorted without really giving her argument significant thought, "Maybe they're...just abstract cute things without any meaning! Yeah, that's it! They're just abstract cute things!"

Leia had to mentally congratulate herself for that one. For thinking on her feet, she found that to be a pretty solid argument. Of course, any feeling of victory was immediately snatched away by the easy smile that crept onto Alvin's face.

This was not going to end well for her.

"Is that so?"

"...Yes?"

"It's up to the viewer's opinion what an abstract object is, right?"

"Uhm...maybe?"

"Well," as he spoke, he laid his chin is his palm and gave a grin that was bordering dangerously close to evil, "they look like bug wings."

"If that's the best retort you've got, I'm worried that you might be losing your touch."

"Oh don't worry. There were half-a-dozen other things I could have said. I just knew saying that one would get the biggest rise out of you."

And he was absolutely right. No matter how desperately she tried to suppress it, she couldn't stop color from rushing to her cheeks; she was gripping the ornaments in her hands so hard that she was practically crushing them. She had bought them on a whim from a traded who happened to stop by Leronde. He had insisted that all the girls her age were wearing something similar in the big city.

In retrospect, the vendor had never bothered to explain to her just what they were. For all she knew, they very well _could_ have been intended to be bug wings.

There was no way she was going to own up to that now; Alvin would never let her live it down.

So she responded in the only way that seemed logical in this situation.

"Damn it Alvin."

"I love you too."

* * *

**A/N:** I can't be the only one who (although they were cute) thought they looked like bug wings...right?


	3. Childish Pursuits

**A/N:** I'm a day late with posting this one because I hit a massive mental road-block while trying to write. However, even when I can't think of anything, I know that the wee hours of the morning are (annoyingly) my peak creative time and so here we are. This collection _will_ still be seven chapters long; I will just post another chapter later today to make-up for missing yesterday.

Well anyways, I knew that I was going to include those swings in Trigleph sooner or later in a one-shot. Apparently my brain decided that sooner was a better choice.

* * *

Title: Childish Pursuits

Summary: When left to her own devices in Trigleph, Leia decides to take it upon herself to learn the childhood art that every good Triglephian child should be a master of: how to swing. Little does she know that there's a part two that every child is the master of: how to jump off the swing.

* * *

"So I just bend my legs back and forth?"

"No, no, you gotta move your whole body, not just your legs!"

"Move my whole body? What does that even mean?"

"It's just something you feel! Here we'll push you for now."

"Ah- wait!"

However, Leia's protests came too late and she suddenly felt three pairs of small hands pushing forcefully on her back. For a moment she thought she might be able to remain upright, but suddenly she felt the swing move underneath her and her already perilous sense of balance was thrown completely off. One second she was on the swing, the next she felt herself falling so swiftly to the pavement that she didn't even have time to throw her hands out to catch herself.

"Miss. Leia, are you alright?" Three voice called in chorus accompanied by the hurried patter of tiny feet. Leia quickly righted herself and gave a sheepish grin and a half-hearted laugh as she scratched at the back of her head.

"Man and here I was thinking that I was finally getting the hang of it. Guess I've still got a long way to go, huh guys?"

She opened her eyes to find three young children looking down at her, their faces a mixture of concern and amusement. The smallest, a little girl with huge brown eyes, stepped forward and gently poked at Leia's cheek, causing the older girl to noticeably wince and grab at the injured area. When Leia moved her hand away from her cheek, there were a few thin streaks of blood covering her fingertips. Apparently the pavement had torn up her face more than she initially thought.

"You've got a boo-boo Miss. Leia!" The girl exclaimed, eyes wide, "I'm gonna go get Mr. Balan!"

"No don't worry, I'm fine," Leia responded hastily as she stood up and brushed herself off, "This is nothing for the invincible Miss. Leia! I've got some super secret medicine that will take care of this in a jiffy! Be back in a bit!"

Not bothering to wait for the children to respond, she quickly ran into the nearby apartment complex. Once inside, she allowed her steps to slow as she looked for somewhere safe where she could use her artes to quietly tend to her wounds. A moment later she found herself in an empty hallway. If she was quick about it, she could take care of it without being seen...

She chanted quietly under her breath as the familiar warmth of her suddenly invigorated mana flooded her body. Concentrating her efforts, she directed the warmth towards her wounded cheek and a moment later she felt the magic bubbling at her skin, gently stitching skin back together and leaving no indication that any wound had been there at all.

Her rather simple goal accomplished, she let the magic dissipate. She took another quick glance around to ensure that she was completely alone. Satisfied that she hadn't been caught, she once more headed for the building's exit.

It was silly really that she felt it so important to hide her ability to channel spirits, but she couldn't help but think that if the people of the city knew about her talent, they would be even more wary of her than they already were. It was true that since the dissolution of the schism, high-ranking officials had been taking strides towards exploring the implications of the new world that both sides had suddenly been thrust into, but the sentiments of open exploration were far less accepted by the general populace.

The last thing Alvin had said to Leia before he left was that she needed to watch herself.

As the thought of Alvin crossed her mind, a miffed frown found its way to Leia's face. Nearly two months ago, Alvin had gone off on a trip to work on building up the business he and Yurgen had started. The problem wasn't so much that he had left, but rather that he still hadn't come back and the letters had stopped arriving about two weeks ago. She chose to believe that indicated that he was simply busy rather than the far darker implications it could possibly carry. Besides, if it was simply that he was busy, that meant she had the right to give him a good tongue lashing when he finally did end up returning.

Quickly shoving those thoughts aside and plastering on another grin, she stepped outside and called, "Good as new! See, I told you it was nothing!"

The three young children rushed up to her and all started talking at once as they gaped at her. She knelt down and let them gently poke and prod at the place where the injury had been mere moments ago. Every time one of them would touch her neatly mended flesh, they would instantly retract their hand, their face a mask of awe and wonder.

Leia couldn't help but smile. Of all the people that she had met in her time in Trigleph, the children were her favorite. Whereas adults tended to look down their nose at her energetic demeanor and her 'bizarre' fashion sense, the children seemed to be attracted by the very same traits. So instead of whiling away her days sighing and waiting for Alvin to return, she had made the decision that she would go out and do something productive.

And she had found the answer in the form of caring for some of the local kids during the day while their parents were busy working. The pay was minimal, but Leia couldn't care less - she enjoyed her time with the children of Trigleph.

Although the similarities really shouldn't have surprised her, she still marveled how they were nearly identical to the children of Rieze Maxia even though the worlds they had grown up in where completely different. She couldn't help but wonder just what kind of new world these kids would develop now that the schism had been disposed of.

Which somehow, every single time without fail, lead her to thinking just what kind of world her children would make.

Which inevitably lead her back to the problem of the still-missing Alvin and a deep flush permeating her cheeks.

"Miss. Leia, why are your cheeks all red?" The younger of the boys asked, breaking her from her reverie. Leia's face flushed even more furiously as she hastily stood and headed for the swings.

"Oh it's nothing, just...getting a little bit warm. Let's try this swing thing again!"

There was a moment of silence in which Leia knew the children were looking confusedly at one another before she heard their footsteps once more approach the swings. The rest of the afternoon consisted of Leia's repeated failed attempts to gain the slightest bit of mastery over the swing. By the time the sun was setting, the most she could say was that she had several new scrapes and bruises, and that she was starting to get the hang of how to move her body with the swing. Maybe.

"Come on Miss. Leia," the older of the boys complained, obviously perturbed by Leia's complete lack of progress in the art of swinging, "Every kid can do this! You're almost an adult!"

"Hey, we didn't have swings around where I lived as a kid," She shot back, "Besides, I think one more round and I'll definitely get the hang of it!"

"You said that the last five times," the girl whined.

"Well this time I really, really mean it! Now help me out and give me a push to start!"

Even though she heard the kids grumble slightly in protest a moment later she felt the small hands on her back once more pushing her. Leia began to pump her legs and lean into her motions as she eventually built up what she believed to be a comfortable rhythm. A smile dominating her face and her hair whipping every which way, she called out at the top of her lungs.

"Okay, stop pushing now guys, I think I've got this!"

This time as she swung backwards, Leia didn't feel the push of small hands - it was now all on her. Setting her face in a determined mask, she employed all the techniques the children had taught her as she shot back and forth. To her surprise, she kept gaining momentum rather than losing it as the height of her swing grew higher and higher. Elated laughter escaped her lips as she enjoyed the euphoric and near weightless feelings that pounded through her veins.

"I'm doing it guys!" She screamed at the top of her lungs to the children below, "Do you see me? I'm finally able to do it!"

The next time she swung backwards, she felt a sudden and unexpected weight settle behind her on the swing, making her jump in surprise. Craning her neck to get a look at who would be interrupting her _just_ as she was starting to get the hang of it, she felt her breath escape her in a rush.

She found herself looking up at Alvin.

He was dressed in what could best be described as business casual, and yet he still managed to sneak one of his beloved scarves into his wardrobe. He had the telltale signs of stubble decorating his face, giving him a look of maturity that was easily snatched away by the childish glint in his eyes as he stood on the back of her swing.

When he caught her gaze, he gave one of those grins that Leia had grown to both love and fear. She was too stunned to do anything but stare at him, her mouth slightly agape. Any thoughts of tongue lashings or other variety of scoldings she had prepared instantly fled her mind in favor of one question.

What the hell was he doing just casually showing up again?

"Why are you stopping? Weren't you just getting all excited that you were finally getting the hang of it?" He called above the vigorous whip of the wind as the two of them continued to swing back and forth.

Too stunned to do little more than give a muted nod, she returned her attentions to ensuring that the swing kept in motion. As the two of them continued to swing back and forth, Leia felt a jumble of emotions fight for dominance in her chest. Before she could sort through them, her body made the decision for her and she found herself laughing giddily as the wind continued to rush past her.

He was home.

Relief quickly gave way to panic as she felt Alvin hauling her upwards. She turned around to look at him, eyes spread wide in terror. If the two of them fell from this height, sure she could fix them back up, but it was still going to hurt. When he saw the concern in her eyes, he just grinned wider.

"Don't worry. I used to jump from these swings all the time when I was a kid. You'll be just fine."

Leia barely had time to process the word 'jump' before the swing once again reached the height of its arc and suddenly she found herself flying through the air. Sheer panic gripped her as she clung desperately to Alvin's neck. Instinctively, she closed her eyes tight and braced herself for a painful impact.

A moment latter, the shock wave of landing on the ground ran through her body, but she was surprised to find that it wasn't accompanied by pain. Her momentary relief, however, was effectively shattered when she felt herself pitch forward into a somersault before ending up on her back, the wind knocked out of her lungs. She stared dazedly at the rapidly darkening sky as she tried to regain her bearings.

Unfortunately for her, Alvin had other ideas and suddenly, she found herself staring into his eyes. Just how many times had she wished to see that smile in the time that he was gone? Then Leia remembered that she was _supposed_ to be able to see his smile approximately a week ago and she felt a frown dominate her face.

"So where exactly have your letters been these past few weeks and why are you a week late getting home?" She asked, her tone biting and harsh.

"No 'welcome back' or 'I'm glad to see you again'?"

"Don't think you can worm your way out of answering the question mister."

"Well if you must know, Kanbalar was blasted with a massive snowstorm; there was no way the wyverns, let alone a sylphjay, could have made it through that. I did come back as quickly as possible though, so that should give me some forgiveness points, right?"

"Hm..." Leia responded, honestly mulling it over in her head, "I suppose you can have a few. You need all the help you can get in that category anyways."

She didn't really have time to enjoy Alvin's cheeky smile because she was too busy pulling him down into a kiss. As their lips continued to meet, Leia smiled widely. It wasn't until this very moment that she realized just how much she had missed him.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeew!"

The sound of a chorus of three voices broke the moment as the two of them separated and Leia propped herself onto her elbows. They both turned to look at the three kids Leia had been playing with earlier. They were all making faces and sticking out their tongues - Leia found it to be adorable.

"Don't worry kids," Alvin said with his damnably roguish smile perfectly in place, "In a few years you'll find kissing anything but disgusting."

"No way!" One of the boys and the girl exclaimed before running off, each yelling something about the other having some form of awful kissing disease. To Leia's surprise, the younger and quieter boy of the trio stayed behind and was staring unashamedly at the two of them.

"You got something to say?" Alvin asked, causing the young boy to jump slightly. Leia was about to scold him for scaring the boy, but the child set his face as he opened his mouth to ask his question.

"Do you like Miss. Leia a whole bunch?"

"That I do."

"More than anything in the whole wide world?"

"I would have to say so."

Alvin's response was so quick and assured that it left Leia's mind only enough room for one thought.

...What?

"Are you gonna marry her some day?"

"Of course."

...What?!

"And, and you're gonna have lots of kids with her?"

"Yup, hundreds of them."

**...What?!**

"I'm...I'm not going to lose to you! I love Miss. Leia a whole bunch too and I'm gonna be the one to marry her!"

With the challenge made, the young boy quickly fled in the direction his friends had headed earlier. Alvin watched him go until he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. A bemused smile had somehow found its way onto his face, but he quickly sharpened it to his usual smirk as he turned back to Leia.

"I see you've been working your charms while I wasn't around; looks like you've created some stiff competition for me."

Instead of an answer, he was rewarded with Leia staring straight ahead, her face bright red and sporting the most flustered expression he had ever seen. Her lips were moving, but the most that was able to escape was a kind of weak whine. Alvin's grin spread widely as he took her into an impromptu embrace.

"Ah, now there's the Leia face I never get tired of seeing. It's great to be home."

* * *

**A/N: **Look at me being all clever with my multiple meanings titles. Also, all of my titles so far have been two words...hm...

Everyone, if you could be so kind, could you supply me with a two word phrase?


	4. Name Game

**A/N: **I am a terrible person who is terrible at keeping schedules that I set for myself. I kind of forgot that preparing to leave the country for six months is a time consuming and stressful process, not giving you much time to pace around and daydream about stories like you usually do. Also, I blame visual novels, because when I say "I'll only play through one route and then get back to what I'm doing", I really mean that I'll play through all of them.

However, this doesn't mean that I have completely abandoned this project - it just means that I'll probably end up posting the last couple of chapters after I've already left. I've got a 13 hour plane ride to sit though, so who knows what kind of story ideas can come from that.

Also, weird narrative style ahoy!

* * *

Title: Name Game

Description: Technically, they may all be referring to the same person, but sometimes the name you choose to use can have a big impact.

* * *

"Whatever you say little buddy."

And there she goes again, using that nickname for the umpteenth time. Ah, and just like usual, there's her oh-so triumphant smile - it's the one that screams 'I've already won this argument'. Gotta admit that it's kinda cute how she thinks I'm that easy to take down. I've had more than one tête-à-tête with women far more cunning and well versed in the art of espionage than her so really, winning this little battle of wits should be just another walk in the park.

I'm sure that she knows by now that just because we're dating doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on her. Hell, if anything, it probably means I'll just get even more enjoyment out of completely grinding her into the proverbial dust. After all, in our time together I've learned lots of fun ways ways to get under her skin that most people wouldn't even guess exists.

Though I do gotta admit that her opening gambit is a pretty good one. Maybe she's been learning how to get all her own little digs in. Oh she can quickly become dangerous if she starts to learn too much.

She's evoking the first nickname she's ever given me (and oddly enough, the only one that's managed to stick around for a long period of time); it's got all types of interesting memories tied up in it. Biggest one is her shoving her face into mine on our first meeting and energetically calling me by that ridiculous name. Sometimes I wonder what she would have called me if Elize, or more accurately that little spud of hers, had introduced me like a normal person.

But it's not all sunshine and roses - that nickname also reminds me of the rest of our journey and everything that implies. Good, bad, happy, sad: it's all wrapped up in those two little words. I wonder if she realizes this or if she just keeps using it because she likes it or finds it cute or something like that. Or maybe because she knows it's a good way to get a reaction out of me. Well whatever it is, she knows that it's a powerful two words and she'll just keep on using it.

Too bad for my sweet little Leia that I'm not in the mood to lose.

Two can play at this game.

Two can play at this game indeed.

* * *

"Oh ho, so the cheeky teenager thinks that she knows everything, huh?"

There he goes again with the whole 'cheeky teenager' schtick. Any time he says it, my body's immediate response has become to roll my eyes and sigh; I honestly can't help it any more. There's something about the way he says it, all grins and always over-emphasizing the 'cheeky' part, that kinda makes me want to punch him in the mouth. I bet he's ninety percent patronizing and only ten percent sincere.

Whenever he calls me by that nickname, I can't help but wonder if that's still all he sees me as. I mean sure, if I ever voiced that opinion, he would tease me to hell and back, then get all serious in the end and say that he loves me or something - I know because he's done just that before. But still, I can't help but wonder if somewhere deep, deep underneath all those layers of suave charm he's still kind of disappointed that he ended up with someone like me.

After all it's obvious that he had feelings for Presa and she's about as different from me as they come. Putting aside the obvious...physical differences, she was mature, composed, and always able to carry herself with such a distinct air of poise. And me? I'm clumsy, slow, and constantly running off hurting myself in my over enthusiasm. The two of us are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum.

I'm just a cheeky teenager, aren't I?

Of course just when all those dark feelings start settling on me, I force myself to remember that not all the feelings associated with the name are bad. After all, every time he uses it I get to see that stupid little grin of his that I can't help but love. Also, I get the special bit of knowledge that he's smiling honestly - it's not force, it's not fake. He's smiling because he's happy. So in the end I can't really be _too_ angry when he calls me by that ridiculous nickname.

I do gotta wonder though just what he'll call me when I'm not a teenager any more. Part of me suspects that he'll keep calling me that even when we're both old...if we're still together at that point. I hope that we are. Will we have kids...?

Gah, enough worrying about the future! I've got to think of a comeback for this one! No way can I admit defeat this easily!

* * *

"Really? 'Cause last time I checked, mister mercenary, I _was_ correct."

Man, she must really be getting pissed off; she only ever pulls that card when she wants to end the argument as quickly as possible. She picks the most random things in the world to get all wound-up about.

But it's been a while since she called me that name. I think the last time was when she got ticked off enough to not speak to me for three days. Those were definitely some of the most trying days since the two of us started dating; it was like I had gone back in time and all the progress the two of us made was simply gone. I was burning bridges all over again.

Thankfully though she eventually forgave me after I pestered the hell out of her. I can't even imagine what it would be like if we reverted back to the time when she refused to even look at me. Funny how I never realized how important my time with her had become until it was dangerously close to coming to an end. I really should have realized the importance of relationships considering all the shit I put myself through for the sake of my mother, but actual committed romantic relationships are something I just can't get my head around.

Loving and leaving is so much easier and far less messy.

And yet somehow I've found myself completely unable to leave her. Damn does she have me wrapped around her little finger and she doesn't even realize it.

But that doesn't mean this little game is over. Oh far from it.

It's time to turn on the charm and see if she can survive.

* * *

"And just where did you get that information...Leia?"

I hate how he can do that; it's so not fair. All he has to do it take that two second pause before he says my name and whisper it in that quiet way of his and suddenly my knees feel like putty. I've been trying really hard to build up an immunity to it, but he just keeps making that pause slightly longer and the whispering huskier and dammit does it make me love him.

And he knows, I can just _tell_ that he knows, just how big an impact he has on me. The message is in the little things that he does, like holding my hand the entire time any of our friends are around (the first time Elize saw us together, it looked like her eyes were about to fall out of her head) or giving me impromptu kisses out of nowhere...it's like he knows all the buttons to push and just delights in pushing them as much as possible.

I would be lying though if I said that it didn't make me a little happy.

Sure it's embarrassing as all heck at times, but it also shows just how okay he is with dating me. All the myriad of ways in which we 'don't work' together just doesn't seem to bother him - I hope some of that confidence can rub off on me some day. For that to happen though, I guess I'll have to spend a lot of time hanging out with him. Not too much of a bum deal if you ask me.

Or...maybe I already have been spending a lot of time with him, because man did I just get a sudden burst of confidence. I know _just_ what to say to win this argument.

And maybe get him to feel a little weak in the knees as well.

* * *

"I have my sources Alfred."

For a moment, I'm back in Xian Du, the smell of sickness heavy in the air as I look down at a woman who is both my mother and a complete stranger. She's smiling at me and saying that name - Alfred. It was something I threw away a long time ago; she was the only one who still continued to call me by that name. And always she had that sickeningly oblivious smile on her face.

Since returning to Elympios I've heard it several time thanks to Balan, but it still throws me. For so long now I've been Alvin rather than Alfred. Alvin is a suave dashing mercenary and Alfred is a scared little blubbering kid. I've been trying to run away from the latter and towards the former.

So then why in the hell do I feel like I'm going through cardiac arrest just because she called me Alfred?

I have no idea, but the next thing I know, I've got my arms wrapped around her and I'm practically squeezing the daylights out of her. It's obvious that she's surprised and she calls me by that name again - Alfred - and damn does my heart jump in my chest. I honestly thought I could never be happy to hear someone call me Alfred.

Maybe it's because she's the one doing it.

Maybe it's because it means that she accepts me for everything that I am: little buddy, mister mercenary, and even Alfred.

I knew that she could be dangerous if she started to learn all the ways to get her own little digs in, but I never thought she would learn this quickly. It's a good thing she can't see my face because even now, I can feel a slight heat rushing to my cheeks. I think the last time I blushed I was more Alfred than Alvin. She would exploit the hell out of that if she knew. Maybe there's more of Alfred left in me than I originally thought, and all it took to wake him up was my cheeky teenager Leia calling his name.

Fine, I suppose I can let you win the game today, but don't get used to it.

* * *

**A/N:** What are the two of them arguing about? I have no idea. Most likely something silly. Please feel free to use your imagination.


	5. Morning Routine

**A/N: **So I bought Tales of Xillia 2. Unfortunately, I don't have my PS3 with me, so all I can do is stare sadly at the box. However, this did lead me to over-analyzing Leia's outfit in the second game and noticing how it seems to have a few 'cutesty' additions. Somehow this ended up producing this one-shot. I know it's been a while and this isn't the best, but I figured I should try to get at least one more one-shot in before the school year starts.

* * *

Title: Morning Routine

Description: Does getting ready for work in the morning really require a tickle fight, self-confidence issues, and unwanted fashion advice? Most likely not, but their relationship always was a little out of the ordinary.

* * *

"Just...hold still for two seconds Leia."

"I can't help it, you keep tickling me!"

"Oh is that so? Does that mean you're ticklish on your neck?"

"No! Nope! Not at all!"

"Well if that's the case, you won't care if I do...this?"

"A-Alvin...s-stop!"

"But you told me you're not ticklish on your neck. Don't tell me that was a lie."

Any response Leia may have wished to make was swallowed as her meager attempts at holding in her laughter quickly dissolved as Alvin began to tickle her neck in earnest. Still laughing, she tried her best to worm her way out of Alvin's hands, but she found herself falling backwards onto the unmade bed behind her. Alvin followed her descent, tickling her neck and any other area that got a response out of her.

"S-Stop it!" She somehow managed to sputter out between her laughter, "We...we have t-to get ready for work!"

"Last time I checked, that was what I was trying to do before you being ticklish interrupted it. Besides, your face is just adorable when it's all scrunched up; I've gotta take every opportunity I can to see it."

The torture and laughter lasted for about a minute longer before Leia managed to push Alvin off of her. Not one to be deterred that easily, Alvin gave her a quick peck on the forehead before ruffling her hair affectionately and pulling himself off the bed. A frown crossed Leia's face as she quickly attempted to smooth down her suddenly mussed up hair.

"You're only making this take longer," She complained as she stood from the bed and theatrically dusted herself off, "I had my hair all nice and styled and you just had to mess it up."

"If you knew how to tie a scarf and didn't ask me to do it for you, we wouldn't be in this situation," Alvin retorted as he swiftly tied his own scarf as a form of punctuation of his argument. He turned to Leia with an easy, teasing smile as he unnecessarily adjusted his scarf. It only made the scowl on Leia's face deeper.

"I wanted to get the tie, but you just _insisted_ that I get a scarf instead."

"You asked me for 'authentic Elympios fashion advice'. I was simply providing it."

"Really? Are you sure that it wasn't just your personal bias towards scarves that made you pick it?"

"Mmmm...maybe. You do have to admit that you look rather classy in it."

"I don't have to admit anything," She replied with an exaggerated roll of her eyes before she sat down at the small vanity and began to pull a brush through her hair. She studied her reflection in the mirror, frowning all the while. No matter how she looked or searched, all she saw was a skinny girl thrust into Elympian clothing that she was in no way comfortable in. Even after adding a few personal touches, it still felt as if she was only play-acting.

No longer willing to look at her own disappointing visage, she closed her eyes and tried to calm the ragged beating of her heart. Today was the day of her big interview at the Trigleph newspaper office. She had been attempting to mentally (and physically, thanks to the fashion advice of Alvin) prepare for this day for weeks, but now that the day had arrived she was plagued with nothing but uncertainties.

"What if they don't like me?" She said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Leia..."

"No really, what if they somehow find out that I'm from Reise Maxia and they decide right there that they don't want anything to do with me?"

It was a conversation that the two of them had multiple times already, but Leia couldn't stop herself from repeating it.

"Is there anything that, obviously physically speaking, sets you apart from an Elympian?"

"Well no..."

"Then you'll be fine," he responded surprisingly earnestly as he appeared behind her and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head, "Besides, if there's anything that will set you apart from an Elympian, it'll be all the little 'additions' you decided to make to your outfit."

As he spoke, Alvin poked at the puffballs attached to Leia's sleeves and gave a flick of the heart pinned to Leia's lapel, quickly dispelling any seriousness that had been attempting to permeate the situation. Leia had no qualms about letting the serious air go and falling into the warm teasing the defined their relationship.

"If they can't appreciate my impeccable fashion sense then I'm not so sure I want to work for them."

"They're better than bug wings, I'll give you that."

"They _aren't_! - damn you Alvin..."

"Ah, never a dull moment with you around, is there?"

"Yeah, yeah, just help me tie the scarf that you so necessarily bought for me."

Alvin voiced no response, instead giving one of his crooked grins before pulling Leia from her sitting position and beginning to tie her scarf. As he worked, Leia allowed herself to examine his face which was suddenly serious with concentration. It was true that the two of them had been dating for some time, but Alvin was so often busy with work that these little moments had become increasingly scarce. The only time the two of them truly found to themselves were these few stolen moments in the morning.

A smile flittered across her lips.

"Hey Alvin."

"Yeah?" He responded, not even bothering to look up from his work.

"I love you."

"And where did this sudden display of affection come from?"

"I just like to remind you some times, make sure you don't forget."

"Oh don't worry. That's something I'll never forget."

As Alvin finished tying her scarf, the two of them headed out the building bantering playfully back and forth. The feeling of unease that had been permeating her every thought seemed to dissipate with the rising sun. If she didn't get the job at the Elympios newspaper office, there were always other places that she could go to work. All if took to calm her heart was one of the out of the ordinary morning routines that her and Alvin had been sharing since their relationship began.

And Leia wouldn't have it any other way.


	6. Unnecessarily Necessary Messages

**A/N: **This one is at an extreme level of teeth-rotting fluffy. I'm not even exaggerating; this is probably the most stupidly fluffy thing I've ever written. Also, this isn't the "original" draft of this story - FanFiction doesn't allow me to include some symbols that were in the original. So I improvised and here we are!

Oh, and I love reviews from Guest-tans, but they also makes me kinda sad because I can't properly thank them... So to all the wonderful Guest-tans who have already reviewed and those who may review in the future, thank you so much! (And yes; all Guests who review my stories are known as Guest-tans. I'm an odd individual).

* * *

Title: Unnecessarily Necessary Messages

Description: Leia loves to annoy Alvin by sending him messages even when they're in the same room together. What she doesn't expect is for Alvin to turn a game of teasing into something far more serious.

* * *

[I love u! \(^_^)/]

Alvin stared at the screen of his cellphone for several seconds, his eyebrow arching and his face contorting into an odd mixture of bemusement and annoyance. Closing the phone with a definite click, he looked up from the paperwork he had brought home with him from work to look instead at Leia. She moved busily about the kitchen, the sweet smell wafting through the air indicating she was cooking one of her favorite fruits-based courses for dinner. No matter how long Alvin stared at her back, she didn't turn around to claim ownership for the message she just sent him.

"Leia, you do realize that I'm in same room as you right?" he finally spoke up, "There's this amazing thing called opening your mouth and talking. You should really try it some time."

Even though she obviously heard him, she just continued to bustle about her work as if he wasn't there. Alvin did, however, notice that her shoulders were shaking with barely contained laughter; she was still getting the biggest kick out of her cellphone and the myriad of ways it allowed her to bug him even though she had it for months now. He had no one to blame but himself - he was the one who had purchased the cellphone for her after all.

But who in the hell could have foreseen that buying her a cellphone would lead to a flood of text messages abusing cutesy emoticons even when they were in the same room?

_He_ should have foreseen it.

After all, the two of them had been living together for several years at this point, leading both to know the other and all of their odd quirks intimately. Add in the fact that when he first brought home his cellphone for work purposes, she had almost immediately commandeered it to play with it and he _really_ should have seen this coming.

He just didn't expect her to be so enamored with the technology that she would use it to send him messages even when they were in the same room. Or maybe she was just enamored with how she could tease him with the technology. That was probably more likely.

"Are you seriously refusing to talk to me until I send you a message back?" He asked after several more minutes of waiting for her to make some form of response. She had done this before, but sometime he could get her to break down simply by speaking to her aloud.

He was greeted solely by the sound of something frying in the skillet and Leia's shoulders shaking even more violently. She was getting way too much enjoyment out of this.

"Really? Nothing?"

Apparently the answer to that was 'yes'.

With a sigh of defeat, he snapped the cellphone open once more. He would play along…for now.

[Love you too. So what are we having for dinner?]

A second later, he heard a series of chipper chimes issuing from Leia's phone before her flipping it open ended the fanfare. Alvin turned his attention back to his work - Leia may have gotten him to respond through messaging rather than words, but that didn't mean that he would allow her the complete victory of snatching away all his attention. A moment later, his phone buzzed with her response.

[U cant tell by smell? (・。・)]

[It's fruit something, but you have quite a few favorite dishes with fruits.]

[*～Fruit yakisoba～* youll luv it 2! ( ^^)人(^^ )]

"Didn't we have that yesterday?" Alvin asked, speaking aloud rather than typing. Once again, Leia made no response and gave no indication that she had heard him. A haggard sigh escaped Alvin's lips - staring at the screen and Leia's inability to type without her beloved emoticons was starting to hurt his eyes. If he wanted to win this little war, he was going to have to get creative.

And what was more fun that defeating her with the very weapon she had chosen to start this battle with?

A smile spread on his face as he gathered together his work papers and set them aside. They could wait for a little bit; now it was time to enjoy making Leia squirm.

[Cravings huh? Is it finally time for us to welcome our first little one into the world?]

This time he watched as she picked up the cellphone and read over the message. That one made her freeze which in turn made Alvin's smile spread all the wider. Even though he couldn't see her face, he could tell by her body language that she was blushing like mad. However, a second later the moment passed and she furiously typed her response.

[NONONONO!]

[That was rather vehement of you. Sure you're not hiding something from me?]

[Im not pregnant alvin (-_-) theres just lots of fresh fruits now so im using them anyways theyre tasty (^o^)v]

She was retreating back into her emoticon ways. He would have to do something drastic. However, he stopped halfway through typing a characteristic sarcastic response before he deleted the message. A moment later he opened a blank message and stared at it for a moment before typing his response methodically. He was no longer sure what was driving his motions, but somehow this just felt right. He had been waiting for the 'perfect' moment, but damn it if their relationship was anything but unusual; wasn't it only fitting that he carry that idea to its logical extreme?

Yet all he could hear in his ears as he slowly built the message was the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.

As soon as he clicked the 'send' button, he placed the cellphone back on the table. He wouldn't be needing it.

When Leia picked up her phone, there was a five second pause as she read over the message and an additional five second pause as her brain processed what she just read. This was immediately followed by exactly what Alvin expected to hear:

"Are you…are you serious?"

Her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper and her body was shaking once again, but this time Alvin knew it wasn't from laughter. He stood from the table and approached her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into a hug. His voice was low as he settled his chin on her shoulder.

"Of course. I would never kid about something like this."

Silence fell once more as his eyes fell on the still open message on Leia's screen. He knew that she was doing the same and re-reading it over and over again in an attempt to absorb the reality of the message and everything that it implied.

[Leia, will you marry me?]

The two of them stayed locked in this position for several moments before Alvin watched as Leia clicked the reply button. Trepidation filled him as her fingers hovered above the keys for several seconds without typing.

"…Close your eyes for a minute."

He had no idea what that was supposed to imply, but he silently obeyed. As he stood there feeling Leia move within his arms as she typed her response, it was the most vulnerable and frightened he had felt in years. Her movements stopped a moment later and Alvin's nerves reached such a height that he had no choice but to open his eyes.

Leia clicked the send button a second too late.

In one movement, he spun her in his arms and crashed his lips onto hers; she immediately reciprocated with a passion that easily matched his. Alvin was aware of the sound of her cellphone crashing to the ground and his vibrating on the table, indicating that Leia's message had arrived.

He didn't need to read it.

He already knew what it said.

[Yes! (＊＾－＾＊)]


End file.
